Our Curriculum: Empowering Students for Success
“Our students will develop the golden knowledge, the skills and attributes that will enrich their lives, becoming responsible, caring citizens who thrive and who positively contribute”.
Whether a student, a member of staff, or a trustee, we will all seek to inspire and believe in one another to achieve our ambitions and succeed in life. We strive for excellence in all we do and our vision,, which although established and sustained, is to provide the best possible education for all of our students and to remain an exceptional educational establishment locally, nationally, and globally.
What the curriculum is designed to do
At William Brookes School we have designed our curriculum with students’ learning at the centre. We recognise that a curriculum has to be broad and balanced and offer students opportunities to grow as individuals, as well as learners.
Through a combination of learning techniques, we aim to ensure students enjoy learning and feel prepared for life after school. We also intend to offer our students new and exciting experiences through extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence, and self-esteem.
We recognise that students should be challenged in their schooling; learning from failures and celebrating successes. We intend for our curriculum to be empowering, enabling students to develop their interpersonal skills, creativity and independence. We are also very conscious that there is a need to move learning from short to long-term memory via various techniques that highlight the importance of recall.
Teaching our Curriculum
The Six Principles
The teaching of our curriculum is firmly evidence based. This ensures teaching is impactful and learning is efficient and effective. The whole school approach is based on six principles:
Behaviour for Learning
Modelling & Scaffolding
Feedback
Knowledge
Questioning
Explanation & Practice
Inclusive Teaching
Teachers use their subject expertise to ensure all our students, including those with high or low prior attainment, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), other additional needs can fully access the curriculum.
Key Stage 3: Years 7, 8 & 9 Curriculum
At Key Stage 3, we deliver a traditional three-year curriculum at William Brookes School because students need to develop broad, rich knowledge and be able to make links between subjects to be successful.
Students are divided into two bands (A and B) and their are approximately eighty students in each.
All students study English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, Computing, Technology, Music, Art, Drama, Dance, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education), and Religious Studeits. Students also study either French or Spanish.
All students have PE (Physical Education) lessons developing their skills in seven sports.
Key Stage 4: Years 10 & 11 Curriculum
We recognise that students will continue to progress throughout their time at William Brookes School. Consequently, we do not place students on a pathway determined by their prior attainment. All students at William Brookes School have the same range of Key Stage 4 choices.
In Year 9 students make their option choices. During Years 10 and 11 all students continue with a core set of subjects: English Literature and English Language, Maths, and Science (most students study a combined science course leading to two GCSEs, the highest attaining scientists will study a separate science course leading to three GCSEs) and core PE (students can opt to study a Cambridge National Diploma in Sport).
Catch-Up Curriculum
Sport & PE
We are proud of our new expanded PE curriculum. At KS3, over a fortnight, students will have the following PE lessons:
- 3 x Core PE lessons
- 2 x Options lessons
- 1 x Sport League lesson
- 1 x double inter-house lesson
Year 10 students will have four / five PE lessons a fortnight, in a combination of core PE, options, and inter-house lessons
Year 11 students will have four options lessons a fortnight, including the chance to opt into some exciting off-site options.
Core PE lessons
In these lessons, students will be taught in mixed ability and mixed gender classes. The aim of the lessons is to develop their technique, tactical awareness, and overall performance in a range of sports. Each sporting activity will take place in a block which changes every four weeks. In a typical year, a student may study badminton, hockey, swimming, fitness, striking and fielding, athletics and tennis, amongst other combinations.
Options lessons
These lessons are an exciting new addition to the curriculum. Students will choose from a list of sports which changes each term. The focus of these sports are non-traditional activities, including Touch NFL (American Football), Pickleball, Water Polo, Danish Longball and Kin-ball. The aim of these lessons is to get students to try new activities, building their confidence and helping them find a lifelong love of physical activity.
Sport League lessons
Students will compete in a sport over the course of a number of weeks, working in the same team over this time, in a league format, with results published on the PE noticeboard. The students will take on various roles in the teams, including leading and officiating. The aim is to give all students the experience of being part of competitive team in a competitive league, and all the associated highs and lows of winning and losing!
Double inter-house lessons
In these lessons, the entire year group will be on PE together, for a double lesson each fortnight. In these sessions, the students will compete in a different inter-house competition each fortnight, across a range of different sports. Boys and girls compete separately, but over the course of the year they will both be treated to exactly the same sports. This will give students the chance to compete in their houses, building their togetherness and giving them more competitive experiences, in a sporting-festival type atmosphere.
Year 11 off-site options
Year 11s will be able to opt-in to some exciting off-site activities in their fortnightly double lesson. They will be able to sign up for trips to Telford ice-rink, and Horsehay golf club for footgolf, driving range or a 9-hole golf course. This will be something that students can really look forward to and should be a great stress-reliever whilst they work hard during their final year in school.
